Canceling-stamp



(No Model.)

.Ni A. BUSH. CANCBLLING STAMP.

Patented July 26, 1887.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

NYE'A. BUSH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

OANCELlNG-STAMP..

SPECIFICATION forming Dart of Letters Patent No. 367,269, dated Julyv26, 1887.

Application filed September 15, 1886. Serial No. 213,600. (No model.)

-scription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it a-ppertains to make and use the same. v

My invention relates to cancelingstamps which, by means of a rotatingcentral disk, deface the postage-stamp by scarifying and displacing aportion of its surface; and it con` slsts of novel constructions andarrangements of parts which will be hereinafter fullyV described, andpointed out in the claims, whereby this class of canceling -stamps isrendered v cheap in construction, solid and compact and durable, as wellas positive and effective in their action upon the postage-stamp, whileconvenience for resharpening and repairing 1s afforded.

bar of the handle being partly in elevation and provided with anvordinary printinghead,

which, \withthe handle, isl shown in elevation and with one of mycanceling-heads, which latter, with one end portion of the cross-bar ofthe handle, is shown in section and as it ap' pears previous to beingput into operation. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of a portion ofthe cross=bar and the canceling-head as it appears when it .has been putin operation. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the rotating tubular screw toVwhich the canceling-head is fastened. Fig. 4 is a bottom orface view ofthe cancel# lng and envelopeholding devices of the canceling-head. V

,The letter A in the drawings represents an ordinary solid handle; B, across-bar fastenedtoit; C, an ordinary post-office printing-headfastened to one end portion of the said crossbar; and D, my improvedcanceling head fastened to the other end portion of the crossbar bymeans of a screw, c, which is passed through the cross-bar C and screwedinto the head portion of a cap, d, and thus holds the canceler tothecrossbar. The cap d is provided with a' cylindrical steel or iron rim,d', with inner and outer screw'threads, as shown.

By the inner screw-th read of the rim el a brass or alloy metal nut, E,is fastened to the cap d, Y

having screw-threads e, of quick pitch or very great inclination, intowhich a tubular screw, F, having screw-threads f corresponding to thethreads e, isitted. The threads e and f are made righthanded for reasonshereinafter explained. l

Into the lower end portion of the tubular screw F a disk-cutter, G, isscrewed, havinga stem or shank, g', with a left-hand screw'- t-hread, g,said stern litt-ing a corresponding inner left-hand screw-thread, f inthe tubular screw. Ahorizontal annular space, g2, is left between thelower end surface of the tubular screw F and upper surface of thedisk-cutter G, which 'space is occupied by a horizontal circular tlange,h, of a sliding sleeve, H, while the disk-cutter G itself is let into ahorizontal annular depression, h', formed in the sleeve just beneath theflange h. The sleeve H thus connected to the canceling-head will movewith the screw F and follow it in its upand revolving with it by meansof a pin, I, which is for one half its diameter let into a groove, fi,in the outer cylindrical surface of thenut E, while its other half isfitted into a gutter, i, of corresponding shape in the inner surface ofthe sliding sleeve H. The gutter i3 permits the sleeve H to slide up anddown along the nut E.

The pin I is provided with a slotted head, t", and screw-thread i, bymeans of which it is screwedinto the rim d of cap d and groove of nut E,and when it is thus screwed into position it is embedded for half itsdiameter in the rim of the cap and the outer surface of the nut, and itat the same time extends loosely in the gutter i3 of the sleeve, andthus the pin serves the purpose of permanently holding the nut Eand capd together by preventing the turning or unscrewing of one on the other,and also as a straight or vertical guide to the sleeve H.

To the outer screw-thread of the rim d ot' thecap d is'screw-ed acylindrical housing, J, the lower end portion of which is open andcontracted, so as to form a stop or step, j, which serves as a lowerabutment to an annular flange, h2, around the top portion of the sleeveH, while its lower or main body portion IOM is projecting through thelower opening of the housing, as shown in Fig. 1.

In its norlnal position the sleeve H is forced outwardly by a spiralspring, K, inclosed in the tubular screw F, which spring bears againstthe cap d and disk-cutter G, thereby keeping the ilange if in contactwith the step j, as illustrated in Fig. l. The upper portion ofthespring K is kept in a central position by the lower end portion ofthescrew @,which projects downwardly through the cap d into the spring toany extentdesired. The diameter of said spring K is such that when it isfully compressed,by pushing the sleeve H into the housing J, it bearsagainst the inner sur- 'face of the tubular screw F without binding toomuch, and thus it is prevented from bulging sidewise injuriously orcatching against the tubular screw or hooking into its upper corner.

The nut E is preferably made of brass, as this metal can be cut moreeasily than steel or iron, while the other parts, including the tubularscrew F, are of steel. The screw surfaces being the one of brass and theother of steel, a very smooth operation is secured.

The peculiar construction of the screwthread for the nut E and screw F,as shown in the drawings, is the result of close observation, and isstrictly in keeping with the relative hardness of each metal, the softermetal, brass, being provided with screw-threads having rounded innercorners, and thus preventing the usually rapid wear of such, and thesteel threads being comparatively thin, be-

cause the wear of that metal is conlparativel y slow.

By makingihe nut separate from the cap and screwing the cap upon thenut, facilities for making the nut of brass are afforded, and by makingthe screw tubular and open at top and bottom the spring can be appliedwithin it below cross-bar and cap, while the disk-cutter can be screwedinto its lower end, and thus a very solid and compact implement isproduced, and the same can be taken apart for repair or other purposesvery conveniently.

The lower annular face, h3, of the sleeve H is provided witheccentric-curved ridges which ridges are set opposed to the motion ofthe disk-cutter, and which, when the canceling stamp is pressed upon thestamp and envelope take hold thereof and prevent them from turning. Thelower face, g, ofthe disk-cutter G is provided with rhombic or squarepyramids, g4, with sharpened edges, wl1ich,when pressed upon the postagestamp, will enter the same, and when revolyed will scarify or cut intoits surface and scrape a portion of it away.

The movements of the dislrcntter head upward and around are caused bysimply pressing the hand canceling-stamp down upon the paper withsufficient force to move the hous ing lT over the sleeve H until itsupper end surface comes in contact with the under surface of the rim dof the cap d. During this jection of the cutters g4 over that ot' theroughened lower annular surface, h3, of the sleeve H, which surfacetakes a iirm hold of the corners of the postage-stamp and of the paperof the envelope, holds them down dat and level, and prevents them frombeing turned or twisted while the center of the postage-stamp is scrapedor canceled.

The pyramidal points g require to be sharpened from time to time, and toprovide for this-the disk-cutter G is adjusted vertically and inrelation to the surface ha of the sleeve H by means of thin washersplaced between it and the upper surface of the depression lf, one ofsuch washers, g, being shown in the drawings.

It will be. seen that while the canceling implement is pressed down thespring K forces the cutters y' of the disk-cutter G into thepostage-stamp, thereby creating a resistance to the revolution of thesame great enough to unscrew the cutter-head from the screw F if theirscrew-threads were right-handed, or the same as the screw F; but byusing the lefthanded screw, as described, the cutter-head is preventedfrom becoming loose while canceling a stamp. Then the canceling-stamp isremoved from the envelope,the spring K forces the tubular screw,disk-cutter G, and sleeve H down, revolving the cutter-head to the rightwithout any tendency to unscrewing the same, as the cuttcrhead revolvesnow without resistance.

I am aware that stamp-caneelers have been constructed with rotarycutters, and that such cutters have been operated by a screw and nutcontrivance, as shown in Letters Patent No. 229,282. Ialso am aware thatthe nut has been kept from revolving while being reciprocated by meansof guide-rods, as shown in said patent. My invention differs from saidpatent in the screw being made hollow, the spring being entirelyinclosed within the screw, and all arranged below the crossbar of thestamp-cancelex'.

I also am aware thata rotary cutter attached to a canceling-stamp andoperated by aspiral slot and pin and having a spring above-its barreland all applied below the cross-bar or socket-plate of the handle hasbeen devised; but this construction differs widely from my constructionand mode of operation, and is not as firm and positive in its action asthe work required to be done requires or demands.

I also am aware of Letters Patents No. 233,210, 195,552, 161,528, andthe Letters Patent of Barlow and Taylor, No. 225,043; but these patentsshow constructions different from those claimed by me; and my inventionmay be regarded as an improvement thereon, it uniting in an improvedVorganization'or combination featuresrvi-'hich are common to thesepatented contrivances, and other features which are novel in th'erelations shown, and in such relation produce improved results.

What I claim as myinventjion is l. The withindescribed handcancelingstamp comprising in its construction a handle,

A, cross-bar B, flanged and internally and eX- ternally screw-threadedcap d, stepped and grooved housing'J, screwed to the outside of theflange of the cap, guttered nut E, screwed into the said flange, tubularscrew F, having solid thread and applied entirely below the capand`cross--bar,` cutter-disk G, having its shank screwed into the screwF, spring K, bearing on the said shank g and located below;

the said cap and cross-bar and entirely in- -closed by the screw F, thefastening and guiding screw c, the grooved sliding sleeveH, having theiianges 7i h2, depression h', andV roughened surface h, and the pin I,screw-threaded along a portion of its surface and passed having the`disk-cutter G, nut E, spring K,

and washer g5, substantially as purpose described.

3. The combination, with the sliding sleeve H, housing J, hollow screwF, having projecting thread-nut E, cap d, and the disk-cutter G, of thespring K, applied within the screw and for the F between the cap d anddisk-cutter G, and' belowthe cross-bar or basepiece of the handle of thecanceler, substantially as and for the purpose described.

VIntestimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

NYE A. BUSH.

Witnesses:

BARENT VAN BUREN, G. J. WILfrsIE.

